The Endless Vessel: A Novel

Combining the wonder of The Midnight Library, the inventiveness of Ready Player One, and the artistry of Cloud Atlas, this novel by the bestselling author of The Oracle Year and Anyone explores the way we're all connected--and what can happen when we lose our capacity for joy.

A few years from now, in a world similar to ours, there exists a sort of "depression plague" that people refer to simply as "The Grey." No one can predict whom it will afflict, or how, but once infected, there's no coming back.

A young Hong Kong based scientist, Lily Barnes, is trying to maintain her inner light in an increasingly dark world. The human race is dwindling, and people fighting to push forward are increasingly rare. One day, Lily comes across something that seems to be addressing her directly, calling to her, asking her to follow a path to whatever lies at its end. Is this the Endless Vessel to happiness? She leaves her life behind and sets out through time and space to find out.

From its opening heart-stopping scene in the present day at the Louvre in Paris, through the earthly meetings between Lily and her loved ones past and present, to a shocking and satisfying conclusion in a truly enchanted forest, Charles Soule has channeled history, science and drama to create a story for the ages--a story of hope and love and possibility. This is a novel you will not soon forget.

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464 pages

Average rating: 7.67

9 RATINGS

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2 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

Chuckstafer
Feb 02, 2024
8/10 stars
This story unfolded about 0% how I expected it to, but not in a bad way! This was way more Science Fiction than I assumed it would be (I think I read the description wrong haha). I still read a compelling thriller about one woman setting out to try and help the world but also got a really neat historical fiction about a secret society and some multidimensional travel across other realms. Very fascinating concept the author presented here.

The bad...read more
Maddieholmes
Aug 28, 2023
8/10 stars
Content warning for death, violence, depression, suicide, mania, catastrophic events, and related topics. The world building in this book is incredible. I felt completely immersed and horrified at what the world had become, especially the scene where we see someone get the Grey. The book has three distinct parts, one and three are in the present and two describes the formation of a secretive group. The first and second were my favorites, I felt l...read more

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